Introduction"My heart is not an island but a central part of me that flows out, like the waves of the sea." (Excerpt of a poem I wrote on 1st May, 2001.)
"My name is Thomas Neilson and several decades ago, I was born in Scotland's green and capital city - Edinburgh - green as it has many open spaces and large parks."
"Back in the days of my childhood, I remember being given this truly wonderful large and heavy cloth-bound book. It was 'Hamlyns Illustrated Geographical Atlas Of the World.' I spent many happy hours perusing page after page of colourful illustrations and immensely interesting text."
"I was very fortunate to have parents who saw the value of giving their children numerous 'educational' books as birthday presents and Christmas gifts."
"Through family visits and being in the Scouts when I was in my youth, I also had the opportunity to see the countryside and learn about its many facets of life."
Background
"Always having had an interest in the outdoors, my passion for photography undoubtedly grew when I worked on Iona, both for the Iona Community and The Iona Cathedral Trust. Whilst working on this Inner Hebridean Isle, my life was touched by the immense beauty of the place, albeit remote and by the peace one can draw from it's tranquility. At night, silence is really golden here and by day, I felt very close to the nature all around."
"Iona is a thin place - just a piece of tissue paper between things spiritual and material."George MacLeod.
(Used with kind permission from Wild Goose Publications, the publishing wing of the Iona Community.)
"My time on Iona, originally for sabbatical reasons, gave me much more than I could ever imagine."
"Working in London, England - prior and after my time on Iona afforded me the chance to photograph the beauty of older buildings, some historical and the new that were aesthetically pleasing to my eye and blended gracefully with their surroundings."
"Since then, I've lived now for several years in Vancouver, B.C. Canada. Here, too I have been blessed with being able to photograph creation in all its wonder."
"Trees, mountains, lakes, sky and sea, birds, flowers, animals and insects - they are all around. For me, they give a 'space' away from my 'work' time. They furnish me with a calmness, a touching place for the thoughts of the spirit, for the silence of the soul."
"My wish is that all of you who visit this website - made possible by the generosity of a good-natured friend - can sense a feeling in these images, a feeling that will put warmth in your day."
"My photographs aim to capture the reality of creation, the beauty of nature, the ambience of that place at that time."
"I get developed, the photograph that is taken by the camera at the time. I do not alter or adjust the image, as I believe it is then not reality."
"I feel we should try our utmost to respect the environment we live in and never, ever take it for granted."
"Next time you exit your living space - somewhere you might hear a bird sing or see trees bending in the wind or see an old building with a carved stone - let the warmth and the beauty of creation in all its wonder, touch you."
Video Date: October 2007
Hua Hin - Thailand
| * | indicates Canon Sureshot 35mm camera used (This was my first good camera.). > indicates Pentax Optio S50 digital camera used. (Used for the past four years or so.) |
| ^ | My new camera, from May 1st, 2008, is a Pentax Optio S10. ( I think Pentax is an excellent brandname camera. It has given me much joy over the years.) My latest camera is a Pentax KM, purchased in January 2009. It is my first ever SLR camera. Photos taken with my latest camera are marked with #. |
| Since January 2010, I have been a Featured Artist on the Pentax Worldwide Online Gallery. | |
